< Back George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah Comanche Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah is an enrolled Comanche Tribal Member, husband and father of five, CEO of three tribal companies, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, and winner of four middleweight boxing championship titles. He launched his boxing career in 2004. His titles include: 2008 Native American Boxing Council’s Super Middleweight Champion, 2011 World Boxing Council’s Continental Americas Middleweight Champion, 2012 North American Boxing Association’s US Middleweight Champion, and 2014 Oklahoma Super Middleweight Boxing Champion. His other awards include 2011’s Top 40 under 40 Native American Entrepreneur, Goodwill Ambassador Award from the World Boxing Council for his fight against diabetes, and the American Indian Exposition’s 2012 Celebrity Indian of the Year award. Tahdooahnippah, had the largest fan base in Oklahoma, and was accompanied to the ring with Native American dancers in full regalia, Native American Drum group, and Native American Rappers. Tahdooahnippah said, “No fighter in the world brought what I brought to the ring.” From the pound of the Native American drum to the breath-taking display of Native American Fancy War Dancers, to the hip hop sounds of his Native American rappers. Comanche Boy topped it off with his power punching, fan friendly style, knocking his opponent’s out. He then performed his own victory war dance. Tahdooahnippah built a nine-year 31-0 boxing career before his first loss. He fought four ESPN fights including one undercard, HBO pay per view fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. “When I started on this journey, nobody believed in me. But I kept going. This has been the highest honor I carried as a professional fighter and I did my best representing my Native American people,” said Tahdooahnippah. He retired from boxing in 2016 with a record of 34 wins, 3 losses, 3 draws and 2 no contests. <Back

Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi <Back Diné (Navajo) Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2022 Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi is a longtime storyteller from the Navajo Nation. She spent over a decade as sportswriter for the Navajo Times, telling stories of high school, college, and professional Navajo athletes. Clahchischiligi, a former athlete, developed an admiration for sports and storytelling at a young age. She completed six internships in three years, one at Sports Illustrated magazine in New York City. Clahchischiligi earned multiple awards for her writing in sports, editorial, community coverage, elder coverage, and investigative reporting. She wrote for the St. Cloud Times, the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Osage News, Searchlight NM, and the Salt Lake Tribune. From her extensive coverage of basketball on the Navajo Nation, she has been dubbed an expert in rezball, a fast-paced style of basketball played throughout Indian Country. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, to name a few. Clahchischiligi has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in rhetoric, writing, and digital media studies from Northern Arizona University, and is currently a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at UNM. She also teaches composition in the English department.

< Back María Lorena Ramírez María Lorena Ramírez Rarámuri Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2024 María Lorena Ramírez won the 2017 Ultra Trail Cerro Rojo 50K in Puebla, Mexico in a time of 7:20 and not long after, she became the first Rarámuri woman to compete in a European ultra with her inaugural attempt at the Bluetrail, the second-highest race in Europe. She competes wearing huaraches, a form of sandals, and a long skirt and she has a truly fascinating story and was featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary Lorena, Light-Footed Woman. Photo/Bio Credit: Ultra X <Back

Cherlyn Dawn Billy <Back Shuswap Nation Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2023 Cherlyn Billy was part of the U-19 Indigenous Female Team BC for the 2017 North American Indigenous Games. This was the first time that the NAIG games had female box lacrosse, and because of this Cherlyn wanted the players to get the full recognition for it. She set up interviews for players with the media, fundraised so they could get new and proper gear and most importantly instilled in them that they were proud Indigenous woman. The team brought home bronze in the games, and fond memories. From this Cherlyn created the BC Storm Lacrosse, a team and group dedicated to using lacrosse as a way to connect culture, history and traditions. Cherlyn coached the first Storm team in an All Nations tournament in 2018 in Six Nations and the team brought home a bronze medal. She used this platform to support players who went to play for Haudenosaunee at the 2019 U-19 Female Field Lacrosse World Games; and later those trying out for the 2022 Haudenosaunee Women’s and Sixes teams in which Cherlyn had multiple athletes of hers on the teams. She took the second Storm Team to the first ever US Box lacrosse women’s tournament in San Jose, in Aug of 2022 and were bronze medalists. Team photo after winning the Bronze medal at the 2017 NAIG for Team BC U-19 Female Lacrosse; Photo Credit: Tanya Foreman and Danya Shima Professional Photo Credit: Carolyn Billy

Rick Baker <Back Hopi Induction Category: Year Inducted Coach 2024 Rick Baker arrived at Hopi High School in Arizona in 1987. He has coached the boys program since 1987 and the girls program since 2017. Baker’s coaching honors include: 2022 National Federation of High School Athletics Cross Country Coach of the Year 2020 National Federation High School Athletics Hall of Fame 2015 National Federation High School Cross Country Coach of the Year National Federation High School-Cross Country Region-8 Coach of the Year two times Coached Hopi Boys’ Cross Country to 27 consecutive State Championships between 1990-2017; to 24 North Regional XC Championships between 1990-2014; and to two state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019 Coached Hopi Girls Cross Country to two State Runner-Up Championships during the 2018 and 2019 seasons Coached nine Individual State Champions Coached Arizona’s only perfect score (15 pts.) at the 1999 State Meet Baker was also a national class runner. He was the 1977 Individual Arizona State Mile Champion (4:20.6), a team member of the National Junior College Athletic Association All-American-Indoor Distance Medley Relay, a team member of the NAIA All-American-Indoor and National Champion Distance Medley Relay, and honored as the Tony Coffin Award/Outstanding Athlete Award-Haskell Indian Junior College, 1978. Baker’s wife of 37 years is Deborah Secakuku Baker and sons are Chad Andrew Baker and Steven Secakuku Baker.

Dennis Parrish Stewarts Point Rancheria of Kashaya Pomo Induction Category: Year Inducted Builder 2024 <Back In 2005 Dennis Parrish saw a Carlisle Indian School football photograph of the 1908 team. He immediately knew who Jim Thorpe was but did not know who the other players were. So, he started collecting digital copies of all the teams and players whenever possible. Over a period of time he collected hundreds of photographs. He then put in the hours and effort to identify the people in the photographs. He perused over half a million pages of newspapers to pin down who was who in the photographs. He decided to use Facebook as a platform and a means to further identity the players by contacting their descendants. With their help he was able to identify most of the players in every photograph. Parrish spent thousands of hours collecting the information for the biographies of the players. His plan was always to flood the internet with information about the accomplishments of the players. A goal would be to encourage feature movies to highlight the popularity of the players and to feature their plights and struggles of their lives. No one should ever forget the lives that shined there and that were lost at Carlisle. You may connect with Parrish’s Facebook public group page titled Carlisle Indian School Football Immortals.

Cherokee Officials Jerod Phillips Cherokee Gary Hull Inupiaq Danny McCourt Algonquin/Iroquois Brian Chrupalo Pine Creek Frist Nation 282 Michael Thomas St. Croix Ojibwe

Mark D. Williams <Back Choctaw Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2023 Mark D. Williams is an award-winning Choctaw filmmaker from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Having never been to film school, Mark was self-taught using friends and family for his first few projects. His first short film premiered at the Red Fork Film Festival in Tulsa in 2006. He would go on to write and direct more short films until 2012 when he made his first feature length film, “The Unrest” (winner of the BEST FILM award at the Mvskoke Film Festival). In 2016, his second feature film, “Violet”, won 12 awards in the US and overseas with 29 award nominations overall. In 2016, he began focusing on Native American sport and athletes’s stories with his first documentary titled “Beans” (Best Documentary at the Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase). It was followed by another award-winning boxing documentary titled, “Shiloh” which can be found on Amazon Prime. He followed up Shiloh with another boxing film, “Knifechief”. In 2020, his short film, “Warrior Coach”, won 2 awards (Bare Bones International Film Festival and Best Director at LA Skins Fest). Mark’s first feature length sports documentary, “Tvshka Nowvt Aya”, covered Oklahoma Choctaw stickball and won Best Film in 2018 at the NatiVisions Film Festival in Arizona. His second documentary with the Choctaw Nation, “Ikhaiyana la chi” (I Will Remember) won three awards (NatiVisions Film Festival, LA Skins Fest, Will Rogers International Film Festival). Mark’s latest film, “The Journey of Tiak Hikiya Ohoyo”, a sports documentary about Mississippi Choctaw Stickball was released in August 2022 in Film Festivals having won Best Feature Documentary (Fort Smith International Film Festival) and Best Feature Film (Indigenous Film Festival). He is currently writing his next script and researching more cultural projects to give the Native people an authentic voice. Photo Credits: Wasey Lamar and Delaney Pennock

Cuyler Frank <Back Navajo Induction Category: Media Year Inducted 2026 Cuyler Frank is from Blackhouse Valley, NM, a small community on the Navajo Nation where he grew up and attended School at Newcomb, NM. Cuyler’s first language is the Navajo Language, and he is also a first-generation college student. He has been very influential in radio broadcasting at the Tribal Colleges and University (TCU) levels and specifically at Dine College and Navajo Technical University. Cuyler graduated with his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies in 2006, then earned his graduate degree in 2010. On September 23, 2005, at New Mexico State University he broadcasted his first ever NCAA D1 college football game in the Navajo language when the Aggies faced a nationally ranked Cal Golden Bears. This was Cuyler’s calling into the broadcast industry and found his place as a sportscaster in the Navajo language. After nine seasons as the Navajo language play caller he moved home and became a Public Relations Officer for Dine College and was part of a team that re-established the radio station. At Dine College he was instrumental in re-establishing its low power FM radio station KXWR and currently is the General Manager at NTU’s KCZY radio in Crownpoint, NM. At KCZY radio station he broadcasts local high school football and basketball as well as the university’s basketball games. The university launched their basketball for men and women basketball in 2022 and compete in the region with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. Not only does Cuyler broadcast for the teams he has also extended his skills into rodeo where he also was the first Navajo language broadcaster at the 2023 and 2024 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, WY. Cuyler continues to broadcast the New Mexico rivalry basketball and football games annually. He also broadcasts the annual New Mexico Bowl, a college bowl game that hosts two college football games in Albuquerque, NM. His notable broadcasts are the high school state football and basketball games.

< Back George Armstrong George Armstrong Algonquin (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg) Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete/Coach 2023 George Armstrong is known as one of the first Indigenous trailblazers in the NHL. He played 21 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs between 1949 and 1971 and captained the team to 4 Stanley Cup championships in 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1967. George played more seasons, more regular season games, and captained the Maple Leafs longer than any other player in the club’s history. He was called by Conn Smythe "the best captain, as a captain, the Leafs have ever had." Born in Bowlands Bay, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Wanapitei, George grew up in a small northern mining community. In the winters, he practiced his skating and hockey skills when lakes froze over, in the summers he enjoyed swimming and hunting in the bush. His mother, a strong Algonquin woman, raised George to be proud of his heritage. After his time with the Copper Cliff Jr. Redman, George played for the Stratford Kroehlers in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), where he won the Red Tilson Trophy as OHA’s Most Valuable Player and the Eddie Powers Trophy as the league’s Top Scorer in 1947-1948. In 1950, Armstrong won the Allan Cup with the Toronto Sr. Malboros. While visiting the Stoney Indian Reserve in Alberta during the Allan Cup finals, the band presented him with a headdress and gave him the name “Big Chief Shoot-the-Puck” in honour of his Indigenous heritage. The nickname “the Chief” stuck with him throughout the rest of his career. After his retirement in 1971, George coached the Toronto Marlboros to two Memorial Cup championships in 1972-1973 and 1974-1975. In 1975, George was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His jersey was retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016. George ranks among the top all-time scorers in Maple Leafs history with 713 points in 1,188 regular season games. <Back

< Back Neilson Powless Neilson Powless Oneida Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Neilson Powless burst onto the United States road racing scene as a 19-year-old and found instant success, finishing ninth overall at the 2016 Amgen Tour of California and winning a stage at the Tour de l’Avenir. Those results shot him to the World Tour where his adaptability accelerated his learning curve. His sporting family laid the foundation for his future professional success. His mom ran the marathon in the 1992 Olympics. His dad was in the Air Force and raced Ironman’s, winning an award for being the top Ironman finisher who was also in the military. His sister, Shayna is also a professional cyclist who has raced for the US National Team. Family time in the Powless household was spent outdoors: swimming in the lake, running, and riding bikes on the trails in Northern California. Before pursuing cycling, Powless won both XTERRA National and World Championships in 2012. Since entering the World Tour, with most notable results including: Winner of 2021 Klasikoa Donostia San Sebastián and the first time an American has won a World Tour one day race in over a decade, and; 5th place in 2021 Pro World Championships and the best result for an American in over two decades. Competed twice in the Tour de France and first ever North American Native to compete in the Tour de France. Neilson Powless became a professional cyclist in 2018 after stand out performances in the Tour of California, Tour de L’Avenir, and World Championships for U23 cyclists. Since joining the ranks of World Tour professionals. Neilson has most notably led Polka Dot jersey competition as the best climber in the Tour de France for a record 13 days as an American. Neilson has also won professional races across the globe from Europe to Asia. Some of which include the Klasikoa San Sebastián, Japan Cup, Étoile de Bessèges, and the Grand Prix de Marseilles. After finding a niche for himself in 1 day races, Powless now has his eyes set on the prestigious “Monuments” in cycling. In 2023, Powless finished 5th in the cobblestone monument, Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Since then his dream has been to become the first American to win the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images <Back

< Back Drew Bucktooth Drew Bucktooth Onondaga Induction Category: Year Inducted Athlete 2022 Drew Bucktooth is a lacrosse and hockey player from the Onondaga Nation in upstate NY. As a member of the Syracuse Stars hockey team he played against the highest level and won back to back state championships, a national championship and a world championship and was MVP of the world championship game. As a 16 year old, Drew was selected for the United States National team but was drafted and played in the OHL instead but still played for Team USA in international competitions and was named the team captain. In lacrosse, the first goal Drew ever scored was on his own goalie, but he made sure to do it correctly after that. As an eighth grader Drew led the varsity lacrosse team in scoring, as a ninth grader he led his league in scoring. As a 10th grader Drew once again led his team in scoring and earned All American, one of only two lacrosse players in NY state history to earn the tile of All American as a 10th grader. When Drew was 15 he competed with the Iroquois Nationals in the U19 world lacrosse championships in Japan, although Drew was the youngest player there, he led the tournament in scoring and was named to the All World Team. A few years later the Lacrosse World Championships were held in Australia, and again Drew was named to the All World Team and has the distinction as the only person in history to make the U19 All World Team twice. As a member of the Onondaga RedHawks, his team captured the Presidents cup twice, which is the Canadian National box lacrosse championship. These days Drew can still be found in and out of hockey rinks and lacrosse fields coaching his four sons, Blake, Gavin, Dylan and Cruze. <Back